Miller said Trump's actions were justified under a 1976 law giving presidents authority to declare national emergencies, although none of the 59 declared since then has involved instances when a president has attempted to override congressional refusal to approve funding for a specific proposal.

Can you point to a single instance, even one, where the president asked Congress for money, Congress refused to give him that money and the president then invoked national emergency powers to get the money?

According to Harvard professor John Yoo, Trump has the power to declare an emergency at the border, especially because Congress in 2006 passed a law approved by Democrats and Republicans authorizing the construction of a wall. Trump plans to redirect $6.7 billion in federal funds to pay for a wall, money that would come from a USA treasury forfeiture fund, a defence counter-drug program and the military construction budget. On Friday afternoon, he released a statement saying, "I'm now reviewing the authorities the administration is using to declare a national emergency".

Trump centered much of his successful 2016 campaign for the White House on a vow to build the wall and make Mexico pay for it. "We knew something like this might happen, and with our sister state partners, we are ready to go".

'We see an increasing number of people crossing the border as well as increasing violence in Mexico, ' he said.

ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said Mr Trump's remarks are an admission that there is no national emergency. "Based on that, we can do an assessment of what would be appropriate", he said.

Republicans have been split on the issue, with some fully backing Trump and others cautioning that allowing an emergency declaration now would set a precedent for future Democratic presidents to do the same for myriad other issues.

But the Wisconsin senator also appeared to offer himself an out from voting against Trump's assertion of power, suggesting there is a good chance that the GOP will, as is often the case, decline to constrain its president.

Trump on Friday declared a national emergency to address what he called an "invasion" of drugs, gangs, human traffickers and undocumented migrants over the U.S. border with Mexico.

The lawsuit argues that Shanahan has no statutory or constitutional authority to facilitate Trump's request in accord with either 10 U.S.C. § 2808 or 10 U.S.C. § 284; statutes which authorize military construction in the event of a national emergency and which authorize the military to assist in anti-drug trafficking activities, respectively. If he vetoes the joint resolution, it would require two-thirds of both the House and Senate to override the veto. "The president isn't acting unilaterally because he can't go to Congress, but because he has done so and he did not fully get what he wanted".

"My concern is our government wasn't created to operate by national emergency", Hurd said.

The national emergency declaration also has divided Americans, triggering at least one protest in NY, with various groups promising to hold more across the country today, Presidents Day.

Within hours of Trump's statement, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would file suit challenging his emergency powers declaration.

What Was Albert Finney's Net Worth When He Died?
Five-time Oscar nominee Albert Finney has died after a brief illness. "He's the reason I am an actor", Finney said in 2012. But perhaps his most iconic role was as Erin Brockovich's gruff-with-a-big-heart boss, Ed Masry.

Barça's Bartomeu: Isco? We'd certainly talk to Madrid
He has been a regular in their Copa del Rey campaign, though, meaning he could come up against Barça on Wednesday. It was an unusual delay by the club, which normally is quick to release reports about its players' injuries.

Mobile Phones: Quartet of Motorola G7 smartphones launched
Still, the Moto G7 should have good battery life because its chip and display consume less power than those on top Android models. The phone comes with a 15W TurboPower charger but can be charged by a QuickCharge 4.0 compatible charger for faster charging.

US Military Delivers Aid to Colombia-Venezuela Border
Guaido accuses Maduro of being a "usurper" over his controversial re-election past year in polls widely branded as fraudulent. About 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015 as the crisis intensified, according to the United Nations.

Sixers trade former No. 1 overall pick Fultz to Magic
There's a definite possibility that he's never able to put everything together again, but he still has all sorts of talent. He played 14 games during his rookie season and 19 this season before shutting down, citing the nerve disorder.